--- title: "Honeymoon Beach, Water Island: The $20 Ferry and Last Boat · Virgin Islands Villas" url: https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/beaches/honeymoon-beach-water-island description: "Honeymoon Beach on Water Island, USVI: the hourly ferry from Crown Bay Marina, $20 round trip, the 6:15 pm last boat back, and the beach bar on the sand." updated: 2026-10-16 source: https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/beaches/honeymoon-beach-water-island --- [St. Thomas](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas) · [Beaches](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/beaches) · Water Island · Druif Bay # Honeymoon Beach (Water Island) Honeymoon Beach, Water Island, sits in Druif Bay, and no road or bridge reaches the island from St. Thomas. The Water Island Ferry crosses hourly from Crown Bay Marina, 9 minutes by car from Charlotte Amalie, for $20 round trip on its posted fares as of October 2026. Below: the ferry, the walk, the last boat and the bar. **Conditions:** The water at Honeymoon Beach, Water Island, is tested weekly by the Department of Planning and Natural Resources for bacteria and clarity; the week's result is in the department's beach advisory at dpnr.vi.gov, worth a look on the morning you cross. Nobody lists a lifeguard on this beach as of October 2026. *Honeymoon Beach, Water Island, from the water: tall palms, thatched umbrellas and a strip of white sand.* ## Honeymoon Beach, Water Island at a glance | | | | --- | --- | | Entry | Free; the ferry is $20 round trip for a visitor (Water Island Ferry fares, as of October 2026) | | Hours | Set by the ferry: first boat 7 am weekdays, 8 am Saturdays, 9 am Sundays and holidays; last boat back 6:15 pm (operator's timetable, as of October 2026) | | Parking | None at the beach, which no road from St. Thomas reaches; cars are left at Crown Bay Marina, where the ferry leaves | | Restrooms | Seasonal or limited | | Shade | Some | | Snorkeling | 3 of 5, Good | | Crowds | Moderate | | Getting there | about 9 minutes by car from Charlotte Amalie, then 10 minutes by ferry, then 5 minutes on foot | | Lifeguard | No | Verified Oct 9, 2026. ## Conditions today at Honeymoon Beach, Water Island As of 7:00 AM on Oct 16, 2026, island time. Read each morning from the National Weather Service, DPNR and Open-Meteo; the bay opens west, by our read from the map. **Sea state** **Sheltered.** The swell is from the east at 0.9 m, period 5 seconds; Honeymoon Beach, Water Island opens west, so the bay sits in the lee. Open-Meteo wave model at the nearest ocean cell; the bay's opening is our read from the map. **Rip current risk** Low. Surf around 3 feet, east winds around 15 mph. National Weather Service San Juan, surf zone forecast for St Thomas, St John and adjacent islands, issued 3:51 AM. **Water test** **Met the standard**, week of Oct 9, 2026 (DPNR's site "Water Island Honeymoon Beach"). Met it in 49 of 50 weeks sampled since Aug 2, 2024. [The advisory](https://dpnr.vi.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Beach-Advisory-10.9.26.pdf). DPNR samples for Enterococci bacteria and turbidity weekly; a result after heavy rain can change within the week. **Rain** Dry through the day; the chance of rain peaks at 21%. Open-Meteo hourly forecast at the pin. **The day** UV index up to 8; sunset 5:56 pm; sea 30 °C, 85 °F. Open-Meteo. ## Getting there About 9 minutes by car from Charlotte Amalie, then 10 minutes by ferry, then 5 minutes on foot. How to reach St. Thomas: [Flights to St. Thomas](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/flights), [How to get around St. Thomas](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/getting-around), [St. Thomas airport](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/airport), [St. Thomas cruise port](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/cruise-port), [St. Thomas map](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/map), [St. Thomas weather by month](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/weather), [Things to do in St. Thomas](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/things-to-do). ### From Charlotte Amalie to Honeymoon Beach, Water Island From Charlotte Amalie - Ferry [The Water Island Ferry from Crown Bay Marina](https://www.waterislandferry.com/) The only scheduled way over, and the last boat back is 6:15 pm. The beach is a 5 minute walk from the landing, about 450 meters. 1. Drive or taxi to Crown Bay Marina 9 min 2. Ferry, Crown Bay Marina to Phillips Landing 10 min 3. Walk from the landing to Honeymoon Beach 5 min One way; $20 round trip, $12 for residents with ID. Children $5 each way. A suitcase is $2 and a large bag $3. Fares the operator heads "updated Feb 1st 2025", still posted on the day checked. · Hourly on the hour from Crown Bay Marina, 8 am to 6 pm Monday to Saturday, with a 7 am boat on weekdays; from 9 am on Sundays and holidays. Returns leave Phillips Landing at a quarter past; the last is 6:15 pm · No reservation; tickets from the operator's store or the crew · [Times (Water Island Ferry)](https://www.waterislandferry.com/) 24 min $10 a person $6 resident Fares change; the operator's page has today's. Road legs measured on island roads. Checked 2026-10-05. ## How to get to Honeymoon Beach on Water Island You reach Honeymoon Beach by boat, and for most visitors that means the Water Island Ferry. Drive or take a taxi to Crown Bay Marina, 9 minutes by car from Charlotte Amalie by our measurement; the taxi is $8 for one rider, or $6 apiece for two or more, from town or the airport alike, at the rates the Virgin Islands Taxicab Commission set in October 2022. The operator says the boat leaves from its slip in front of Tickles Dockside Restaurant, and that tickets are sold at its store beneath the marina office or by the crew on the dock. It lands at Phillips Landing, the public dock on Water Island; the operator does not state the crossing time. From the dock the beach is a 5-minute walk, 443 meters by our measurement, and not a flat one: the road climbs from the landing and then drops to the sand. The alternative is a golf cart for the day. Dinghy's rents four-seat carts at the beach for $65 a day, 8 am to 6 pm, on its online rate as of October 2026, booked through its site, so reserve before you cross. ## Water Island Ferry times and fares, October 2026 The ferry leaves Crown Bay Marina every hour on the hour and comes back from Phillips Landing at a quarter past. As of October 2026 the operator's posted timetable starts at 7 am Monday to Friday, a boat it marks as new, at 8 am on Saturday, and at 9 am on Sundays and on Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, New Year's Day and Good Friday. The last boat out is 6 pm and the last boat back 6:15 pm, every day. The operator's FAQ page still gives 8 am as the Sunday start, an hour earlier than its own timetable; plan on 9. A visitor pays $20 round trip or $10 one way, and a child $10 or $5, on fares the operator heads "updated Feb 1st 2025" and still posts in October 2026; it leaves the age limit for a child's ticket to the crew. Residents of the US Virgin Islands pay $12 round trip with a current ID. A small bag is $2, a large box $3, and a pet rides for $5 in a carrier. No reservation is needed, and the operator asks you to arrive 5 to 10 minutes early to buy tickets and park in the marina. It sells tickets in person and says nothing about taking a card, and Dinghy's publishes nothing on how it takes payment, so carry cash for the boat and for lunch. ## Dinghy's, and the last boat at 6:15 Honeymoon Beach is a sand beach in Druif Bay with a row of palms behind it. The palms are the shade; umbrellas are rented for the rest. Dinghy's Beach Bar and Grill is on the sand. Its contact page posts hours of 10:30 am to 9 pm daily, with the kitchen closing at 8, as of October 2026. Its amenities page lists lounge chairs, umbrellas, paddle boards, kayaks and snorkel gear for rent, and courts for beach tennis and volleyball. It posts no prices for any of them, and its home page promises free beach amenities without naming one beyond Wi-Fi, so budget for the chairs. The tradeoff is the clock. The bar posts hours until 9 pm, and the last scheduled ferry leaves at 6:15 pm. Miss it and you are asking the operator for a private run. ## Snorkeling and swimming in Druif Bay This is a swimming beach first. The floor of the bay is sand, and by the accounts we read the fish are along the rocks at either side, outside the swimming area and in the lanes the boats use. The beach bar rents snorkel gear. We rate it 3 of 5: worth a look, and no reason on its own to cross the harbor. Water testing here is weekly, by the Department of Planning and Natural Resources, for bacteria and clarity, and the result goes into the department's beach advisory at dpnr.vi.gov; check the latest before you cross. No lifeguard is listed anywhere we looked, as of October 2026, so swim on that footing. ## Is Honeymoon Beach on Water Island open? Yes. As of October 2026 the ferry posts a seven-day timetable and the beach bar posts daily hours, and neither site carries a closure notice. No page we opened charges an entry fee for the beach. On the land behind it: the Legislature of the Virgin Islands approved Bill 36-0340 in August 2026, a 99-year lease of about 180 acres of government land on Water Island for a hotel and marina, and its summary says the revised plan removes construction from Honeymoon Beach and the hillside above it. Suits a full beach day with lunch and chairs taken care of, and a traveler staying near Charlotte Amalie or Crown Bay without a car. Not an evening plan, and not a quick stop: the boat sets your hours. ## Questions people ask about Honeymoon Beach, Water Island **How do you get to Honeymoon Beach on Water Island?** Take the Water Island Ferry from Crown Bay Marina on St. Thomas to Phillips Landing; as of October 2026 it leaves hourly on the hour. From the dock the beach is a 5-minute walk over a rise, or a golf cart ride. No road or bridge crosses from St. Thomas, so the boat is the way over. **Is Honeymoon Beach open on Water Island?** Yes, as of October 2026. The Water Island Ferry posts a daily timetable, and Dinghy's Beach Bar and Grill on the beach posts hours of 10:30 am to 9 pm. **Which country owns Water Island and Honeymoon Beach?** The United States. The federal government acquired Water Island from the East Asiatic Company, a Danish firm, in 1944, and handed it to the US Virgin Islands on Dec 12, 1996, so the land behind the beach is the territory's own. The Legislature's August 2026 lease of about 180 acres of it leaves Honeymoon Beach out of the construction plan, per the bill's summary. **How much is the ferry to Water Island?** As of October 2026 the Water Island Ferry charges a visitor $20 round trip and a child $10, on fares it dates to February 2025. Residents pay $12 with ID, and bags and pets cost $2 to $5 more. **How long is the walk from the Water Island ferry to Honeymoon Beach?** Five minutes, 443 meters, from the dock at Phillips Landing to the sand, by our measurement. The road climbs from the landing and then drops to the beach. For anyone who would sooner ride, Dinghy's rents golf carts at $65 a day as of October 2026. Written by Virgin Islands Villas. Facts verified Oct 9, 2026. Updated Oct 16, 2026. Facts checked against [the Water Island Ferry](https://www.waterislandferry.com/), [Dinghy's Beach Bar and Grill](https://dinghysbeachbar.com/contact-water-island/), [the Department of Planning and Natural Resources](https://dpnr.vi.gov/beach-advisory/) and [the Legislature of the Virgin Islands](https://legvi.org/?p=1386640). Checked October 2026. ## Nearby beaches - [Brewers Bay Bordeaux · 3.6 km away · free entry](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/beaches/brewers-bay) - [Morningstar Beach Frenchman's Bay · 3.9 km away · free entry](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/beaches/morningstar) - [Limetree Beach Frenchman's Bay · 4.6 km away · free entry](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/beaches/limetree) [Every beach on St. Thomas, compared](https://virginislandvilla.com/st-thomas/beaches)